Page 74 of Fated for his Flame

Not that there was any difference between us.

“You need to get her off your mind.”

“Trust me, I know,” I growled more at myself than Caleb. He was only telling me what I’d been telling myself. “But I can’t.”

My dragon, nearly silent since she’d been taken away by the guards, shifted in my mind just enough to make its sorrow known.

“Have you been to see her yet?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head.

Caleb was silent.

“I just can’t believe she would do such a thing,” I said. “It didn’t seem like her at all, you know? She played us so well. A spy.”

“And you’re sure she truly did?” Caleb didn’t sound like he believed it. He was just playing devil’s advocate.

“They have pictures of her at a CIA building. Meeting with the head of the Caribbean. We know that. Our agents in their government have confirmed it. Why else would she be there?”

Caleb frowned at me. “You don’t have her reason?”

“She didn’t give one.”

“Did you try asking her what she was doing there?”

I blinked.

Caleb shook his head slowly from side to side. “You seriously never asked her what she was doing there or listened to her explanation?”

“I …”

“Even if she was lying about it, you should have asked her, brother. If you care as much as you said you did, as much as your moping seems to reveal, you could have opened your mouth and told her to give her version of events.”

He was right. I’d never listened to Chloe, never asked what she had to say, and I hadn’t even considered it. I’d just leaped to the conclusion she was guilty. Like everyone else.

“What have I done?” I half-whispered, appalled at myself and my willingness to jump to a decision. Even if it was the right decision in the end, I should have listened to her. Asked her. Given her a chance.

“So, I guess you can’t explain why she came back then,” Caleb said. “Because I’ve been wondering that.”

“Shit.”

He cocked his head in disappointment, while behind me the crowd went wild. Caine must have arrived, but I didn’t look.

“You didn’t ask her that either?”

I shook my head.

“Did you even wonder why she would do something so risky and stupid?” he pushed.

“No.” I looked down. “I just … I assumed.”

“You let your bias control you,” Caleb said.

“Yes. I did.” I ground my teeth together, fury mounting.

There was a call from the other side of the dueling grounds. They were ready to start.

“You need to do better if you want to be the ruler of a house,” Caleb said.

---